It is well known that water exposed to the atmosphere absorbs air as well as contaminants which might be entrained in the air. While water under these conditions is normally useful for many applications, processes and the like, it presents certain problems or limitations in certain specific processes. For instance, it is well known that in paper making processes, deaeration of the stock is highly desirable in promoting a better overall quality of paper as entrained air in the paper stock tends to produce a cementing affect on the fiber flocks in the stock. U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,117 issued to W. W. Hickey on Apr. 28, 1964 recognizes this problem and proposes a solution. In another area, degassing tap water used in a dialysis machine permits the machine to operate with much greater efficiency. Such a liquid degassifier is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,351 issued to Aug. 16, 1977 to R. L. Anderson.
In other areas such as steam heating systems, deaeration has been found to be particularly desirable in that inleakage of corrosive gasses as well as the presence of such gasses in make up water produces a deleterious effect on the water and steam lines. Such a vacuum deaerating apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,357,445 issued Sept. 5, 1944 to C. I. Baker.
While such degassing devices produce fairly satisfactory results, they are characterized by certain limitations which have sought to be overcome for prolonged periods. Some of these limitations include the high cost and complexity of such equipment as well as inability to degas water to the desired degree.